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Lead Legal Counsel, Tax-Exempt Organizations

Open Society Institute
Full-time
On-site
New York United States of America
Lead Legal Counsel, Tax-Exempt Organizations. New York. Posting Date: 12/18/2025. Deadline: 01/22/2026

Role Title: Lead Legal Counsel, Tax-Exempt Organizations

Contract Type: Regular

Reporting To: Director, Strategic Philanthropy

Department Name: Office of General Counsel

Location: New York or Washington D.C.

Team Name: Strategic Philanthropy

Role Purpose

The Lead Legal Counsel provides advice on OSF’s most fundamental legal and regulatory issues (including charitability, fundability, lobbying, political activity, and mission related investments) in relation to grant making, impact investing and advocacy. The Lead Legal Counsel is the primary expert within OGC on legal requirements for the US private foundations that are central to the OSF network and acts as an advisory partner for business units engaged in grantmaking or advocacy.

Key responsibilities

As Lead Legal Counsel, you will:

  • Work with the Director for Strategic Philanthropy on setting and implementing strategy for legal support to strategic philanthropy across Open Society’s global network, including leading, developing and managing attorneys and other legal professionals
  • Advise on charitable, social welfare and exempt organizations’ law, including compliance with tax laws and regulations applicable to U.S. private foundations, such as private benefit, expenditure responsibility, lobbying restrictions and political activity prohibitions
  • Advise on international (and potentially domestic) grant making, advocacy and other strategic interventions including escalated transactions and multi-tool campaigns that require coordinated inputs from multiple specialist attorneys and internal and external stakeholders
  • Advise on the development and implementation of organisational policies including global grant making and advocacy process design and implementation
  • Represent OGC in interdepartmental efforts, such as network wide policy and planning committees
  • Advise on transactions including grants, service agreements, consultancies, commercial contracts, licences and software agreements
  • Contribute to developing and maintaining OGC know-how, templates, technology solutions and other key enablers
  • Engage and instruct external counsel when needed and co-ordinate advice as appropriate to ensure it is fit for the organization
  • Open Society’s legal needs mean that legal work is often cross-cutting so all attorneys in the OGC must be generalists to some extent, and should expect workload sharing within and between divisions to respond to fluctuating demands.

People Responsibilities (Total Team/DRs)

None

Key internal relationships

Director of Strategic Philanthropy, Grants Management; Information Technology; Finance (Audit Function)

Key external relationships

External counsel advising on US and other local law in jurisdictions where OSF engages in grantmaking

The ideal candidate

  • Law degree or equivalent from an accredited university (law school)
  • Admission to practice law in the United States

  • A minimum post-qualification experience of 8 years at a law firm and/or in-house, with an emphasis on tax exempt charitable organizations and substantial experience with US private foundation law

  • Extensive experience and record of accomplishments with drafting and negotiating, in matters requiring keen attention to detail with excellent follow-through

  • Experience with leading, developing and managing lawyers and other legal professionals to achieve specific results within a medium-term timeframe including experience in managing complex projects

  • Experience advising and providing counsel to senior leadership of a large complex and international organization

  • Experience engaging and instructing external counsel when needed and co-ordinating advice as appropriate to ensure it is fit for the organization

  • Demonstrated ability to communicate (verbal and written) legal and strategic advice with stakeholders who are not lawyers including in a virtual environment
  • A practical, business-oriented approach to problem-solving, tempered by an appreciation for legal complexity and risk
  • Demonstrated ability to apply creative thinking, strong judgment and analytical skills, combined with a record of integrity, professional discretion and the ability to work under pressure, prioritize and handle sensitive/confidential matters
  • Demonstrated ability to build relationships, with experience managing inter and intra organizational relationships in complex organizational environments
  • Travel is required. Travel frequency depends on the role requirements.

What we offer

  • Exceptional opportunities to learn, grow, and make an impact; from a generous annual professional development allowance for every employee to onsite training and learning conversations with visiting experts.

  • Excellent benefits and perks to promote well-being and a healthy work-life balance, including:

  • Generous time off and flexible work arrangements.

  • Employer-paid health insurance and dental plans for individuals and families (no employee contribution required).

  • Exceptional retirement savings plan (non-contributory for employees) and life insurance.

  • Progressive paid parental leave, reproductive and family planning support, and much more.

  • A commitment to nurturing a diverse and inclusive workplace, so you can bring your whole self to work and make a positive impact.

The salary range for this role in the US is $244,000 - $276,363 (USD). The final offer is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set and level of experience.

Who we are

Open Society Foundations aim to establish vibrant and inclusive democracies where governments are accountable to their citizens. Our operating model organizes grantmaking around specific, time-limited projects, developed alongside support for established partners, enabling us to respond swiftly to emerging needs. We are committed to promoting human dignity, equality, and rights; reimagining democratic ideals and practice; and advancing equity in governance systems.

Guided by our founder’s values and the belief in the art of the possible, we engage directly with global entities, individuals, and policymakers through grants, advocacy, impact investing, and strategic human rights litigation to drive positive change. At the heart of our mission is a deep commitment to rights, equity, and justice, inspiring every action we take.

Additional information

Open Society Foundations is committed to building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We actively seek applications from talented individuals across all backgrounds, identities, and life experiences. Each candidate is evaluated solely on their unique qualifications without regard to race, age, sex, religion, ethnic origin, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, or any other legally protected characteristics.


We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities.

Competitive rates of pay apply.

Open Society Foundations is committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, and to building a diverse staff that reflects the movements, issues and communities that our mission serves. Candidates from all underrepresented backgrounds, identities and communities are encouraged to apply.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and colleagues with disabilities.

Apply now
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